Cycling is a very popular sport and a mode of transportation. In some cities, more people travel to work and to school by bicycle than by car. Cycling has the main advantage of being an environmentally-clean mode of transportation and a very silent and enjoyable way of discovering a country or of traveling.
The use of electric motors as a motoring force for many types of vehicles and devices is desirable since such motors are pollution free, very quiet in operation, light and can be made compact. With such features, electric motors have progressively been given newer applications. For instance, wheeled transportation devices such as bicycles, tricycles, mopeds, scooters, and nautical transportation devices, such as personal watercrafts and small boats are all either known to have been propelled by electric motors or have the potential to be.
Electric power has emerged as a popular motoring force generator for some transportation vehicles since electric batteries may be recharged during use, thereby allowing such vehicles to become autonomous for long distances. For instance, an electric motor mounted to a bicycle may be recharged when the bike is going downhill, or when the bicycle is braked.
In prior art electric bikes, a specific fixed effort is requested from the electric motor and this effort is used to propel the bicycle. These bikes are therefore useful for traveling at a regular speed without pedaling. These bikes do not interact with the user and do not allow a compensative, proportional or progressive effort to be provided by the motor.
Other prior art electric bikes have proportional assistance and allow a compensation of the motor for the efforts of the cyclist. They often have electrical or electrical/mechanical units which provide the assistance. However, the assistance provided by the motor in those cases is not smooth. The cyclist is fully aware of the presence of the motor and of its assistance to the propulsion of the bicycle.